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Alonso has high hopes, calls Hamilton his biggest rival in Formula One

January 16, 2013

Fernando Alonso, left, says that Lewis Hamilton, right, is a man to watch in Formula One this season. Photo by LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

Fernando Alonso says he has high hopes for 2013, and the Spaniard expects Ferrari to have a better start to the season than it did last year.

However, he denies that Ferrari is "obliged" to win this season having come so close to the 2012 World Championship.

“I don't think there is necessarily an obligation to win,” Alonso said at a media event in Italy. “Sport means sacrifice, work, enjoyment of what one does and for the past three years, I've been fortunate to be in the fight for important targets.

“There are 24 drivers in Formula One, and few of them can say they have won races and usually finished on the podium. Since I've been at Ferrari, two out of three times, I have come very close to being world champion, which is the target for me and for a team like ours. I hope I can now make that three times out of four.

“I'm confident I can start the season with a better car than the one we had in the first few months of last year. It was actually in the early races that we lost decisive points, when we had a car that was only good enough for seventh, as was the case in China, or ninth in Bahrain. The fact we are working with just one wind tunnel, the Toyota one in Cologne, could be a small advantage.”

Alonso expects exhaust technology to be a key factor in 2013.

“On the technical front, I think that this year, the key will again be the management of the exhausts. It's true, it's not as important as two years ago, but we saw last year that it still played a significant role and that everyone worked on it a great deal.

“The tires are not as critical, unless there is a specific problem, as for example we had with the hardest compound in 2011. They are the same for all the teams and, if they are within the mean point, they won't make the difference, neither for the better nor for the worse.”

As usual, Alonso was full of praise for teammate Felipe Massa.

“I have always said that Felipe was one of the best drivers around, and I still remember that some people smiled when I said this last year," Alonso said. "He and I have always helped one another, day by day and I expect him to always be very close to me in terms of performance: what was not normal was the difference between us over the past two years, but now I don't think that will be the case. That will be a very positive factor for me and especially for the team.”

Alonso said that he is also pleased to have Pedro de la Rosa on board as the team's development driver.

“When there are new arrivals in high level teams, it is always important," Alonso said. "Pedro will work mainly on the simulator, an area where we were not at the same level as the best and his experience will be useful.

“Having said that, it's not the case that a new driver can change things or can do it in the simulator -- there are and there will be further and more significant new arrivals that can make the team grow.”

Meanwhile, Alonso has responded to criticism from Red Bull boss Helmut Marko and reiterated that Lewis Hamilton is the driver he believes poses the biggest challenge this season. Marko had suggested that the Spaniard lost last year's championship because he was “too busy with politics,” a theory Alonso laughed off on Thursday.

“I don't think I am good at politics, I just drive the car,” Alonso said. “Some recent remarks have surprised me, but I can't see the sense in them. Some say they don't read them, don't hear them and don't see them, before adding that they are not influenced by them. So clearly they do read them, maybe at night…”

Alonso said that he wasn't trying to distract Vettel by boosting Hamilton.

“Why do I say Hamilton is the strongest," Alonso said. "Because it's what I think, it's my personal opinion and there is nothing political in that. Lewis has always won races ever since he has been in Formula One, even in years like 2009, when he had started the season with a car that was two seconds off the quickest.

“When you look at what happens on track, you are well aware of what he is doing, that's a fact. Last year, [Nico] Rosberg won in China, therefore I expect that this year, Lewis in a Mercedes can win more than one race.

“I did not say that Vettel was not the strongest or that he did not deserve his three titles. There have been periods, like in 2011, when his performance level was fantastic and he was definitely the best. As of today, it's impossible to say who will be our strongest rivals in 2013.

“Who will have the best car, who will have done the best job of preparation and had the best development, who will be the luckiest -- there are so many factors which go to make the strongest combination of driver and team.”